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Nov 21, 2020 • 3 min read
Remembering Jan Morris
Jan Morris passed away on a Friday morning at Ysbyty Bryn Beryl, a Welsh hospital on the Llŷn Peninsula, at the age of 94. Born in 1926 in Somerset, her storied career began at the Western Daily Press in Bristol. Subsequently, she served as an intelligence officer in WWII, witnessing pivotal moments in Palestine and Trieste, Italy. After the war, Morris worked for The Times and was honored with the assignment of a lifetime to cover the 1953 summit of Mt. Everest achieved by Colonel John Hunt, Tenzing Norgay, and Edmund Hillary.
Journey Through Writing
Those early experiences laid the groundwork for a prolific and influential career in journalism and authorship. Morris covered destinations from Hong Kong to Oman and Sydney to South Africa in numerous magazine features and books spanning travel, history, biography, and memoir. One of her notable works, Coast to Coast, chronicles a family travelogue of the United States during its post-war glamour.
Throughout the 1970s, she authored The Pax Britannica Trilogy, a comprehensive history of the British Empire, providing keen insights into the dawn of the post-colonial era. Moreover, her fiction, particularly Last Letters from Hav and Return to Hav, offered a unique perspective on the Middle East through a science fiction lens, with Last Letters shortlisted for the 1985 Booker Prize.
Reflections on Identity
Despite her accolades and accomplishments, Morris often expressed discomfort with being categorized strictly as a travel writer. In a 1989 interview with The Paris Review, she stated, “I resist the idea that travel writing has got to be factual. I believe in its imaginative qualities and its potential as art and literature… I think of myself more as a belletrist.” This highlights her belief that writing about place encompasses broader themes of history and identity.
A New Chapter
In 1972, Jan Morris traveled to Casablanca, Morocco, for gender-affirming surgery, transitioning from her male given name, James, personally and professionally. Two years later, she candidly published a book about her experiences, sharing insights about her lifelong journey of self-discovery. Although she faced personal upheaval, including a legal divorce from her wife due to same-sex marriage laws, their bond ultimately led to a civil union in 2008, lasting over seven decades.
Legacy of a Trailblazer
Morris never ceased to write; her final book, Thinking Again, released in March 2020, encapsulated daily diary entries from 2018 to 2019, reflecting on personal and political themes, including Welsh nationalism and contemporary issues such as Brexit. Even as she settled into her home in Llanystumdwy, her writings continued to resonate with profound passion for both people and place. Her legacy transcends literature, marking her as a pioneering figure for women—especially trans women—in travel and publishing. Upon reflecting on her life, Morris once shared, “Book lovers will understand me, and they will know too that part of the pleasure of a library lies in its very existence.”
